The P-8A Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) System Development and Demonstration (SDD) team was honored June 21 as the winner of the NAVAIR Commanders National Award for Program Management.

This is a great achievement and reflects the immense success that the P-8A team has achieved in establishing MMA as one of the Defense Department's premier programs, said Capt. Steve Eastburg, manager of NAVAIRs Maritime Surveillance Program Office (PMA-290). I continue to be extremely proud of everyone on this team.

The P-8A MMA will be based on Boeings Next-Generation 737-800 commercial airframe and is the Navys replacement for the P-3C Orion. It will re-capitalize the fleet's current P-3C anti-submarine, anti-ship, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. The P-8A will transform how the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Force train, man, operate and deploy. Two key elements of this transformation are the training system and the reduction of personnel through Performance Based Logistics.

The training system will incorporate a 90 percent off-aircraft training solution. The PBL will greatly reduce personnel costs through the implementation of contractor logistics support. This approach will become a key enabler of the Chief of Naval Operations Human Capital Strategy.

The continued success that we see in the SDD phase is the result of a close and open partnership between the Navy, our SDD contract winner - the Boeing Company, and the fleet, said Cmdr. Joe Rixey, leader of the P-8A MMA Integrated Product Team. We have been on contract for just over a year and already have logged several significant accomplishments.

Just three months after contract award, the Navy completed its first major review of the program, System Requirements Review, a crucial step that permitted the program to continue forward. The team then wrapped up a successful Integrated Baseline Review in February 2005 followed by a standard-setting System Functional Review in April. The next major milestone is the Preliminary Design Review, which is slated for September 2005.

The Commanders Award is the highest team award within NAVAIR and recognizes the achievements of teams that have successfully supported the main goals of the command. Eleven packages were entered into the Program Management category.